Before you write a meal plan...or any plan.

It may seem a bit out of order, that last week I would write about how to write a meal plan and this week, I'd write what to do before you write a meal plan...but hear me out!

If you have just started meal planning, it may feel daunting. You may have struggled before and only jumped back in because I suggested it. That's ok! There are always challenges when we are learning new things. Below are some recommendations I have for next week when you sit down to plan your meals..

1. Look in your kitchen!!
Do you have 15 cans of diced tomatoes? Let's plan some recipes that will USE the diced tomatoes! Try to make sure you have at least 2 meals that include half of the ingredients that are already in your house. It will make you use what's there and not build up a giant pile of food that needs to get eaten sitting next to a pile of leftovers that need to get eaten.

2. Make room for leftovers.
If you plan a meal for every night, you will not be able to eat ALL the leftovers! Unless your family eats every bite of every thing that you make,  there is going to be food left. Throwing it away is not economical and you can't always finish an entire lasagna for lunch! With that in mind, leave space in the schedule for a leftover night. Is it the most fun? Probably not. Practical though?

3. Build up to it.
You are not going to be on Master Chef tomorrow. I promise your children will still grow into normal functioning members of society even if you use a microwave! If you'd like to have some veggies and frozen is more practical than fresh, go with it. It's cool.

4. Make habits.
Have you noticed in your own life that you have patterns and habits? Maybe you take 3 sweet-n-low in your coffee? Swiffer the floors on thursday? These are patterns and habits. If they work well in other parts of your life, why would you not incorporate them more often? I try to do some meal prep for the next night, while I'm working on the current meal. Sometimes I even get farther ahead than that.

5. Create patterns.
Some call them theme nights, I call them patterns. My children know to expect chicken mid-week and to expect Italian-type meals on Monday. I tend to grill on the weekends and every 3-4 days, we tackle leftovers. Whatever works, you decide, but look for the things that make the process easier, not harder!

Happy Meal Planning!!

Recipe: Meatball Stroganoff

Continuing on with the great meal plan....Meatball Stroganoff!

And it was WELL received by the kids!

Here's the recipe. It's super easy. Seriously.

1 can of cream of mushroom
1 can of milk
1 8oz container of sour cream
1 can of mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons of worsteshire sauce
1/2 pound of meatballs (make them yourself or buy frozen ones)
1 bag of extra wide egg noodles

1. Cook the noodles. Read and follow package instructions

2. Take the liquid/cream ingredients and mushrooms and combine them in a deep sauce pan. Season with salt or pepper to taste. (Everything will end up here, so make sure it's big enough) Allow them to cook together before adding the cooked meatballs.

3. Give the meatballs and sauce time to blend, I gave mine about 10 minutes. Then add the noodles.

4. Enjoy!!!

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Casserole Crock Pot

This week, we have reached an all new level of meal planning!!! I am so proud of us!

We have planned meals, shopped for them and made dinner AT HOME every night this week.

Here's what we've done so far:

Sunday:
Monday: Walking Tacos
Tuesday: Meatball Subs
Wednesday: burgers and dogs on the grill, greek salad and green bean casserole
Thursday: chicken enchilada casserole
Friday: leftovers!!!!
Saturday: meatball stroganoff

Last nite was the chicken enchilada casserole. Even Dilly loved it!I found the recipe in the Busy Bees Crockpot Cookbook. Once I read it, I knew it had to change, for starters, there were no veggies and i can't eat meat out of a can....just can't. So here's the recipe that I made:

1 10oz can of red enchilada sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 can corn
2 breasts of chicken cooked and shredded

Layer in the crockpot, from bottom to top:

a few spoonfuls of sauce and sour cream
tortilla shells, torn to cover the bottom
2 large handfuls of spinach
1/2 the chicken, corn and sauce mix
2 large handfuls of cheese
tortilla shells, torn to cover the layer
2 large handfuls of spinach
1/2 the chicken, corn and sauce mix
2 large handfuls of cheese

Cook on high for 1 hour and 15 minutes and enjoy some yummy goodness!!! Please forgive the lack of pics of food, but I do have a pic of Dilly eating up!

New food Friday

Today, while in Walgreens looking for a snack I happened upon the kettle corn section. I have been a fan of kettle corn for a while now. In fact, my entire family is highly addicted to the kettle corn sold at our local Costco from the Angie's corn brand. It comes in a large yellow bag and is truly delectable.

But, Walgreens did not have such a brand. So I was required to try something new. I opted for the kettle corn brand and the cinnamon sugar flavor it's definitely a different flavor. Not one I dislike, but not what I was expecting. I really enjoyed the sweetness of the sugar. It reminded several teachers of the children's cereal Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but better. I don't know how often I will seek it out. But, I do recommend giving it a try.

While at Walgreens I noticed that pellegrino water was on sale. Since I have never actually had it before, I decided to go ahead and give it a try as well. I drank it several times throughout the day and while I don't know if it will ever be the first choice I make over something else, it definitely was not bad.

All in all, tasty new treats.